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Francescas Cafe, definitely. Follow them on twitter and you'll get the special menu items each day (@FrancescasCafe). It's hard to beat. Great fresh sandwiches and wraps, and even though the cold days are waning, they'll be back-- and it's best place for soup.

Shalimar has a location downtown. Oddly, I live in Troy and I've never been, though I've been to their Clifton Park location quite a bit.

As both a food lover and a caffeine enthusiast, I like Spill'n the Beans (Spillin' the Beans? Spilling the Beanz? You crazy kids with your wacky spelling...). Their food is cheap and delicious, and their coffee is great.

in reference to placid bakers sandwiches, "great" is a serious understatement. we drive from glenville to troy nearly every saturday, in no small part to visit placid baker. wish i still lived in troy.

SHALIMAR! So many happy memories of good meals shared at that place... :)

Famous Lunch is good, if a bit dive-y. We tried Ilium Cafe the other day and thought it was alright. And Dinosaur's a bit of a walk but good.

On the other hand, Manory's is only good if you like greasy food. Placid Baker is probably not open whenever you'll want to go (keep wanting to try there, but their hours suck). And DeFazio's, while good, is not downtown -- it's a bit of a hike down to Little Italy.

By the way, if you're willing to lose your parking spot and drive 5 minutes, you get to add Plum Blossom (great lunch time prices, food, and decor), and, while not in Troy itself, Pig Pit. Mmm Pig Pit.

Placid Baker wins for me, hands down. Their soups and sandwiches are always awesome, and always so different from what other places have to offer. And the smell when you walk in the joint can't be beat.

As for other spots, I have to echo many of the above suggestions (though as a side note to Jessica R., Uncle Ricky's closed a while ago). Francesca's is reliably great -- egg salad sandwiches on Wednesdays are my not-so-guilty pleasure -- and a Record staffers favorite. (We're simple folk: if you build it across the street, we will come.) The relatively new Selena's on Third Street is also good -- her soups are delicious, the prices are low, and the homemade potato chips are out of this world.

Also, I have to get this off my chest: it's a downright tragedy that DeFazio's has lost the Tournament of Pizza crown two years in a row. I don't care what the judges say; it's the best in my book.

I really miss working in downtown Troy in a lot of ways. Troy has its downfalls, but at lunchtime, it's very vibrant. I loved Placid Bakers, and Uncle Ricky's, but my favorite lunchtime stop was the summer weekday farmers' market, particularly when Katie the above commenter was my cohort.

x's to o's! if you haven't been there or haven't heard of it, YOU MUST GO. not only do they provide delicious vegan and gluten free baked goods (their version of the vegan twinkie will make you squeal), they also have healthy and affordable vegan and gluten free sandwiches, salads and soups! go for tea and a sweet treat or grab lunch and an izze! the staff is friendly and super cool. i've been going for years and they still always have something new for me to try. for a cool place to hang out and perhaps to try something new if the word vegan has scared you in the past, please give them a try. it's delicious, and what's so scary about plants, anyways? : D they are HANDS DOWN my favorite place to eat, snack and hang out in troy. go eat something delicious and feel good about it after!!

I love going to X's To O's for lunch! They usually have hot and cold items for sale, coffee, tea, and many other drinks. It's not too expensive and it's 100% vegan. They're also a really green company, as well, so if that aspect is important to your decision, consider X's To O's. They have different items available on different days so check their Facebook wall for an updated menu. You can also grab some baked goods while you're there (I recommend the canoe boats).

I'd also add Patricelli's Deli (near Washington Park on 2nd St). The people have always been friendly, I love their chicken salad sandwiches, and they have daily specials posted on their facebook page. I think they deliver if you don't want to walk or risk losing a parking spot.

X's to O's has an awesome selection of baked goodies. Cookies, brownies, cupcakes, etc. They also have an awesome lunch menu that changes just enough to make it interesting and exciting for your tastebuds! They also do an awesome brunch on the weekends. Low profile, easy atmosphere! And friendly ta boot!

I always go to X's to O's. They change their selection up and it's always reasonably priced for great food. The baked goods are amazing and you can order whole cakes and stuff ahead of time. Everyone that works there is always really friendly as well. They also have a large selection of gluten free items.

I would suggest anyplace mentioned thus far, except Illium Cafe. Sorry - the decor is tacky and it smells bad. You then smell bad when you leave. The food is weird - and not the kinda of fun-new-horizon weird but uninventive weird. People feel they have to like it because their friends rave about it and via peer pressure or the feeling of missing out, people say it's good.

Ha, B, I thought the same thing. Having worked in downtown Troy for two years now, I've never been there for lunch, nor would I have ever considered it. It's a cute vegan bakery but certainly wouldn't naturally pull those back-to-back comments.

A lot of great places have been mentioned but I have to back Francescas's. The quality is top notch, it's pretty cheap (especially compared to other downtown places like Spill N Beans or Illium), and it won't take more than 2-3 visits for Francesca to remember your name and greet you with a smile. I wish Troy had more places like this. It's definitely our gem.

Ali Baba's. It's up on 15th, but it worth the hike. Shalimar is amazing value and taste, and First Choice Caribbean's lunch buffet is worth a shot. DeFazio's features both gluten and vegan pizza and Francesca's Cafe is perfect for the townie and the hipster alike. Troy Pub & Brewery is always worth a shot. If you're traveling to Lansingburgh/North Troy, Testo's is a neighborhood staple and where the locals eat when they want Italian. Famous Lunch IS Famous Lunch and, if you need Irish, travel down to South Troy and the South Troy Tavern. Make sure you go in the Ladies Entrance.

I live and work in Troy and I also have wheat, egg and dairy allergies. I hardly eat out except at a few places because most of the time I can get french fries and a salad. I also have to worry about cross contamination or whether or not someone got creative and threw butter in the vegetables when no one else was looking.

I eat a lot at X's to O's and the food is good (last week they had a cold ginger, peach, and cashew cream soup when it was very warm out). I love the fact the place exists because I can get a sandwich, soup and a brownie for lunch (which most people take for granted) and enjoy my food.

So, lets spread the love, like the gluten free chocolate chips pancakes with peanutbutter sauce they had for brunch the other week with roasted sweet potatoes. Whats not to love?

ILLIUM! Carmen's Cafe as well, but only on Sat/Sun. Placid Baker is another favorite. I won't slag off any of the many places around here, though, so as long as you're eating at a Troy establishment I'm happy.

I don't see Daily Grind here. They also have delicious lunch. Thunder Mountain Curry, too. Either ar the Saturday market or up on the RPI campus. I'm a big fan of almost all of these places (big thumbs up to the Placid Baker's pretzels!) and I agree, as long as you're patronizing downtown Troy businesses, that's a good thing. However, I want to mention that I had my first sandwich (to go) from on X's & O's two weeks ago and it rocked my world. It did everything I needed it to do within minutes: perked me up, gave me energy for the next hours and was delicious and vegetarian. I'm not sure how that can be accomplished with one sandwich, but I look forward to exploring their menu at more length in the upcoming months. I haven't felt that way about lunch since Shake Shake Mamas closed.

After working in Troy for years and then not, I finally got to Troy Ale House. One of the specials was a Cuban sandwich, and it was the best I've had north of Florida. If they cleaned up -- but why would they -- it'd be the nearest thing to a gastropub. It's very good. Ali Baba - very good, but getting pricey. Shalimar offers a great buffet for the price.

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